Oakland County’s governing body on Thursday honored two retiring journalists, including The Oakland Press Executive Glenn Gilbert, and a retirement board member for their active roles within the county and their careers — which combine for more than 100 years.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners recognized Gilbert for his years of “shaping the conversations and opinions of residents on many issues throughout the years” in his communities, which include areas in Illinois, Ohio, and most recently, Pontiac.

“Gilbert has been extremely supportive of the city of Pontiac,” said Commissioner Mattie McKinney Hatchett, D-Pontiac, during the presentation. “We celebrate his work and wish him a very wonderful and active retirement.”

Accepting his award, Gilbert — Group Editor for several Digital First Media organizations in Michigan and Executive Editor of The Oakland Press — said he believes in Pontiac and the role of Oakland County government in the community.

Advertisement

“Oakland County government is a very loyal constituent of The Oakland Press, and many, many county officials have told us that.

“I’ve taken note of it, and we recently have tried to focus more attention on (county government) ... what you do is important to the community.”

Gilbert noted that the efforts of Commissioner Marcia Gershenson, D-West Bloomfield, have not gone unnoticed, as the commissioner helped get a residential road in his community paved. In keeping up with local news, he mentioned, “... and I’ll have to ask (Gershenson) what is going on inside the West Bloomfield Township hall,” referencing recent controversy with its treasurer.

Gilbert’s spent seven years at the helm of The Oakland Press’ newsroom, and in that time has grown from executive editor at the Pontiac-based paper to a group editor of all 21st Century newspapers in Michigan.

Since taking over as executive editor of The Oakland Press, Gilbert has also been active in the community, forming citizen advisory panels to take reader input, hosting community roundtables and participating in the Committee of 50, an arm of the Greater Pontiac Community Coalition.

In addition to The Oakland Press, he has overseen The News-Herald Newspapers in Southgate, the same organization he started as an editor and reporter at in 1968.

The University of Michigan graduate is set to retire in January.

He’s won several awards in different communities in the Midwest, including an award in 2010 as The Oakland Press was named as one of 10 newspapers in the country that “do it right” by Editor & Publisher Magazine. Just this fall, the paper won from the Local Media Association its Best Web/Print Combination Award, which recognizes “the publisher that has proven the value of their products in terms of readership, individualization of content and advertising revenue.”

The executive editor jokingly added that many may wonder why he spent several years in Ohio, where he held multiple editorial roles for a local award-winning newspaper.

“As a Michigan graduate, I spent 14 years trying to bring civilization to Ohio. I failed, so I came back,” Gilbert said.

The Oakland Press is a seven-day printed paper which serves Oakland County and has a circulation of about 50,000 print customers and more than 1 million monthly visitors.

Bill Proctor, who’s been in news broadcasting for more than 30 years in Southeast Michigan, also was honored for his reporting and contributions to the county, along with Oakland County Retirement Board member Doug Williams — a past deputy county executive who has spent 35 years molding the retirement and benefit services for county employees.

Proctor, a broadcast reporter with Channel 7, WXYZ-TV, joined the station in 1980. He has received the Outstanding Media Award in 1983 by Michigan’s Crime Prevention Association, the Golden Quill Award in 1979 and the Ed King Memorial Award, and also runs a communications, investigative and legal services agency — Bill Proctor and Associates — in Farmington Hills. He announced his retirement in May.

About the Author

John Turk covers the police beat and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for The Oakland Press. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. Reach the author at john.turk@oakpress.com
or follow John on Twitter: @jrturk.